The name is almost a joke: Old Rare Old. But behind the playful title sits a cognac from a single estate, bottled at cask strength without dilution – exactly the kind of bottle WV Baker & Cie is known for tracking down.
Expert's Description
WV Baker & Cie Old Rare Old is a Single Estate French Cognac, bottled at 56.3%.
WV Baker & Cie was founded by the Franco-British Benjamin Baker, a former Royal Air Force pilot who in 2012 began tracking down and bottling rare single casks of cognac, often from Baker's home region of Fins Bois. The house deliberately calls itself an independent bottler rather than a distillery, prioritising casks with character over a fixed house style.
This Old Rare Old bottling comes from a single estate and was aged 10 years before being bottled in August 2022 as a Limited Release of 470 bottles for the Danish spirits merchant Juul's.
At 56.3% in the bottle, the cognac is bottled close to cask strength, preserving an intensity rarely found in an ordinarily diluted 40% cognac.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Intense dried fruit and spiced wood, with a warm alcohol weight that underlines the cask strength.
Palate
Powerful and concentrated, with notes of dark caramel, nuts and a distinct oak spice.
Finish
Long and warm, with a lingering, lightly bitter close.
Specifications
Name: WV Baker & Cie Old Rare Old
Distillery: WV Baker & Cie
Country: France
Type: Single Estate French Cognac
Age: 10 years
ABV: 56.3%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 3770023406093
Serving suggestion: Best enjoyed at room temperature in a cognac glass, ideally with a few drops of water
Flavour Profile
Dried fruit · Dark caramel · Nuts · Oak spice
Did You Know?
Only 470 bottles exist of this release, and the entire batch was bottled directly for the Danish spirits merchant Juul's – a type of collaboration WV Baker & Cie often enters into with selected retailers rather than selling broadly.
